Hemostatic clip remover



Oct. 3, 1967 E. c. WOOD 3,344,649

HEMOSTATIC CLIP REMOVER Filed Dec. 18, 1964 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG, 1

INVENTOQ Oct. 3, 1967 E. c. WOOD 3,344,649

d Dec. 18, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG, 6 F

' FIG, 10 hww h IN VENTOI? rnest 6'. wood United States Patent 3,344,649 HEMOSTATIC CLIP REMOVER Ernest C. Wood, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of thirtythree and one-third percent to Peter B. Samuels and thirty-three and one-third percent to Rene G. Le Vaux Filed Dec. 18, 1964, Ser. No. 419,464 4 Claims. (Cl. 72392) This invention relates to a device useful for removing strangulation members from blood vessels and the like. More specifically, it is addressed to a device for removing hemostatic clips from position of use in the strangulation of blood vessels and othe fluid ducts of the human body.

Often determinative of the success or failure of a surgical operation is the speed with which it can be conducted. In order to keep to a minimum the expenditure of time necessary for the completion of numerous tasks which are of themselves of a relatively minor nature, hemostatic clips for the strangulation of blood vessels or the like may be used, eliminating the necessity for conventional means for strangulation such as tying of ligatures, thereby shortening the requisite time of closure of individual fluid ducts. As with conventional closure means, it is often necessary, before the operation is completed, to effect removal of the closure means to permit fluid to again flow through the vessels to which the device had been attached.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device for rapidly removing hemostatic clips of the type described in the copending application Ser. No. 399,753, filed Sept. 28, 1964, and entitled, Hemost-atic Clip and Applicator, whereby the time required for the completion of the operation is materially reduced.

These and other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear and, for purposes of illustration and not of limitation, a specific embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the hemostatic clip remover embodying the features of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the hemostatic clip remover shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a hemostatic clip in position of use in strangulation of the blood vessel;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view similar to that of FIGURE 3 showing the device of FIGURES 1 and 2 in position of use to effect removal of the clip;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view similar to that of FIGURES 3 and 4 showing the relationship to the elements when theclip remover is actuated to closed position to effect the spreading of the arms of the hemostatic clip;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the arrangement of elements as shown in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view showing the arrangement of elements illustrated in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 .is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG- URE 8 showing the arrangement of elements when the clip remover is actuated partway towards closed position, and

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view similar to that of FIGURES 8 and 9 with the clip remover actuated to closed position.

Briefly described, the hemostatic clip comprises an elongated wire-like member having arms 21 extending outwardly from about the mid-point 22 about which the arms are folded to bring the arms alongside each other to clamp the vessel, such as a blood vessel 30, therebetween when in position of use. The clip remover embodying the features of this invention comprises a pair of jaw members actuable in the direction toward and away from each other with the end portion of one jaw having a pointed tooth on its inner face in crosswise alignment with a similarly located pointed tooth on the other jaw. When the pointed teeth are positioned on opposite sides of the folded clip to insert the pointed teeth between the arms, the arms of the clip will be forced apart in response to the movement of the jaws in the direction toward each other by an amount to cause at least the pointed portions of the teeth to by-pass each other.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a structure embodying the concepts of this invention. As shown in FIG- URE l, the clip remover 10 comprises a pair of pivotally joined elongated elements 11, each having a cooperating jaw member 12 on one side of pivot 13 and operating handle portions 14 on the other side of the pivot. Each jaw member 12 is constructed with a body portion 15 having a tooth 16 on the inner face adjacent the end of the body portion with each tooth being formed in the shape of a pyramid or conical section with the point or apex 18 outermost. Each tooth has a base portion 17 and terminates with the point 18 wherein the points are disposed in opposed relationship in the pair of jaws so that when the jaws are displaced in the direction toward each other to closed position, as shown in FIGURE 1, initial contact between the jaws will occur when the point 18 on one tooth engages the point 18 of the other, as shown in FIGURE 9.

For reasons that will hereinafter he explained, it is desirable that, upon continued movement of the jaws toward closed position, the respective teeth not only come into contact but that they be permitted to by-pass each other along their adjacent side faces, as illustrated in FIGURE 10. To attain this end, one or both of the jaw members should have some lateral resiliency. For this purpose, it is desirable to dimension the teeth to have a length greater than one-half the thickness of the clip so that the points will by-pass before the jaws of the remover engage the opposite edges of the clip when in closed position.

The use of this invention will be illustrated with reference to the removal of a hemostatic clip 20 from strangulation engagement with a blood vessel 30, as shown in FIGURE 3. The arms 21 of the clip 20 extend sub stantially parallel from the central fold 22 of the clip on opposite sides of the blood vessel 30. The jaws 12 of the clip remover are positioned adjacent the inner end portion of the fold 22 of the clip with the teeth 16 on opposite sides of the clip in crosswise alignment with the loop formed between the clip arms for subsequent displacement of the teeth between the arms of the clip. When the handle portions 14 are actuated in the direction towards each other, the teeth 16 are displaced inwardly between the arms 21 of the hemostatic clip. Initial contact between the pair of jaws occurs when the points 18 of the teeth come into engagement one with the other, as illustrated in FIGURE 9. Since the teeth are formed with a thickness generally greater than the space between the arms 21 of the clip while in strangulation position, the arms 21 will be forced in the direction away from each other as the teeth are displaced therebetween, as illustrated in FIGURE 9.

Continued actuation of the handles 14 in the direction towards each other to closed position will displace the jaw members further in the direction towards each other whereby the teeth will be caused to by-pass one another, as shown in FIGURE 10 in which the by-passing movement is limited primarily by the width of the hemostatic clip. The sliding movement of one tooth over the face of the other in such by-passing action causes lateral flexure of one or both of the jaw members in the direction away from each other. As a result, the teeth shift from pointto-point contacting relationship to side-by-side relationship with the resulting effect of introducing still greater width of material between the arms of the clip to cause the arms to spread still further apart, as illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 10. Thus, the clip arms are spread to an open position to release the blood vessel and to permit easy removal of the hemostatic clip from the vessel. After the clip is removed from the vessel, the handles 14 of the clip remover can be returned from closed'to open position in the direction away from each other to effect a corresponding separation between the jaw members. This will operate to release the removed hemostatic clip to enable re-use of the device for removal of additional clip members.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have provided a simple and eflicient means which is capable of gaining ready access to the hemostatic clip in position of strangulation to effect spreading of the arms of the clip for removal of the clip from strangulation position while still holding onto the clip for removal from the body portion, and which is as easily actuable for release of the removed clip for the disposal thereof.

It will be understood that the tooth formed in each of the jaw members may be located in the end of the jaws or adjacent the end portions thereof and that the device of this invention will have application not only to the specific clip members described, but others which are similarly constructed for engagement with vessels for folding about an intermediate point.

It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and operation of the clip removal device without departing from the spirit of the invention, especially as defined in the following claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. For use with clip members having arms foldable about a midsection into clamping engagement about opposite sides of a tubular member for strangulation when in use, a device for removing said clips from position of use comprising a pair of jaw members rockable about a pivot in the direction toward and away from each other between closed and open positions respectively, a pointed tooth on the inner surface of one jaw member in crosswise alignment with a pointed tooth on the other jaw member with the pointed teeth facing each other but spaced one from the other when the jaw members are in open position and which by-pass each other when the jaw members are in closed position, said teeth having a combined width in by-pass position which is greater than the spaced relationship between the folded arms of the clip member when in position of use whereby, when the teeth are crosswise aligned on the opposite sides of the clip member, the folded arms of the clip are spread responsive to movement of the jaws in the direction towards each other as the teeth enter into the space between the folded arms and in which the jaw members are capable of lateral flexure when displaced in the direction towards each other beyond point to point contact.

2. For use with clip members having arms foldable about a midsection into clamping engagement about opposite sides of a tubular member for strangulation when in use, a device for removing said clips from position of use comprising a pair of jaw members rockable about a pivot in the direction toward and away from each other between closed and open positions respectively, a pointed tooth in the form of a pyramid on the inner surface of one jaw member in crosswise alignment with a pointed tooth in the form of a pyramid on the other jaw member with the pointed teeth facing each other but spaced one from the other when the jaw members are in open position and which by-pass each other when the jaw members are in closed position, said teeth having a combined width in by-pass position which is greater than the spaced relationship between the folded arms of the clip member when in position of use whereby, when the teeth are crosswise aligned on the opposite sides of the clip member, the folded arms of the clip are spread responsive to movement of the jaws in the direction towards each other as the teeth enter into the space between the folded arms.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the base portions of the pyramid are dimensioned to have a thickness greater than the spaced relation between the folded arms of the clip member when in clamping position.

4. For use with clip members having arms foldable about a midsection into clamping engagement about opposite sides of a tubular member for strangulation when in use, a device for removing said clips from position of use comprising a pair of jaw members rockable about a pivot in the direction toward and away from each other between closed and open positions respectively, a pointed tooth of conical shape on the inner surface of one jaw member in crosswise alignment with a pointed tooth of conical shape in the other jaw member with the pointed teeth facing each other but spaced one from the other when the jaw members are in open position and which by-pass each other when the jaw members are in closed position, said teeth having a combined width in by-pass position which is greater than the spaced relationship between the folded arms of the clip member when in position of use whereby, when the teeth are crosswise aligned on the opposite sides of the clip member, the folded arms of the clip are spread responsive to movement of the jaws in the direction towards each other as the teeth enter into the space between the folded arms.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 13,957 8/1915 MacDonald 72-409 1,141,877 6/1915 Luce 72-409 3,254,649 6/1966 Wood 81-5.1

RICHARD I HERBST, Primary Examiner.

L. A. LARSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. FOR USE WITH CLIP MEMBERS HAVING ARMS FOLDABLE ABOUT A MIDSECTION INTO CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT ABOUT OPPOSITE SIDES OF A TUBULAR MEMBER FOR STRANGULATION WHEN IN USE, A DEVICE FOR REMOVING SAID CLIPS FROM POSITION OF USE COMPRISING A PAIR OF JAW MEMBERS ROCKABLE ABOUT A PIVOT IN THE DIRECTION TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER BETWEEN CLOSED AND OPEN POSITIONS RESPECTIVELY, A POINTED TOOTH ON THE INNER SURFACE OF ONE JAW MEMBER IN CROSSWISE ALIGNMENT WITH A POINTED TOOTH ON THE OTHER JAW MEMBER WITH THE POINTED TEETH FACING EACH OTHER BUT SPACED ONE FROM THE OTHER WHEN THE JAW MEMBERS ARE IN OPEN POSITION AND WHICH BY-PASS POSITION EACH OTHER WHEN THE JAW MEMBERS ARE IN CLOSED POSITION, SAID TEETH HAVING A COMBINED WIDTH IN BY-PASS POSITION WHICH IS GREATER THAN THE SPACED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FOLDED ARMS OF THE CLIP MEMBER WHEN IN POSITION OF USE WHEREBY, WHEN THE TEETH ARE CROSSWISE ALIGNED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CLIP MEMBER, THE FOLDED ARMS OF THE CLIP ARE SPREAD RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF THE JAWS IN THE DIRECTION TOWARDS EACH OTHER AS THE TEETH ENTER INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE FOLDED ARMS AND IN WHICH THE JAW MEMBERS ARE CAPABLE OF LATERAL FLEXURE WHEN DISPLACED IN THE DIRECTION TOWARDS EACH OTHER BEYOND POINT TO POINT CONTACT. 